Bottle capping machine



. Aug. 1, 1939. E E 2,168,109

BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 15, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 40E W482 IN V EN T0 R.

A TTORNEYS.

A g- 1, 1939.- G. E. WEST 2,168,109

BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 15, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 GL3. W882 INVENTOR.

Isl/M ATTORNEYS.

Aug. 1, 1939. G. E. WEST 2,168,109 I BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 15, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 3 w 92 4 H J4 49 J3 r/ 56 4.22: Wst

' INVENTOR.

A TTORNEYS.

G. E WEST BOTTLE GAPPING MACHINE Aug. 1, 1939.

Filed Aug. 13, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN V EN TOR.

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ATTORNEYS.

s- 939 G. E. WEST 2,168,109

BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 13, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN V EN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 1, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT or ies BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE George E. West, San Antonio, Tex. Application August 13, 1938, Serial No. 224,775

8 Claims. (01. 226-85) The device forming the subject matter of this application is a means for applying a cap to a bottle. The invention aims to improve the construction of thediaphragm whereby the cap is engaged upon and about the neck of a bottle or other receptacle. The invention aims, further, to provide novel means for controlling the fiow of fluid pressure, preferably, air to and from the diaphragm, to provide novel means for venting the diaphragm with respect tothe cushion which it engages, to provide novel means where by a strip of cap material may be bent into operative relation to a cutting instrumentality, to provide a novel means for exhausting air from I the cap applying device, to provide novel operative connections between the instrumentalities abovespecified and others to be alluded to hereinaiter, and, generally, to improve and to enhance the utility of, devices of that type which the invention appertains. I

With the above and other objects in View, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of What is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 shows, in elevation, a machine constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation;

of the valve mechanisms and attendant parts;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section showing the lower arm of the support and parts associated with it;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view showing the operative connection between the cutting means and the means for raising the receptacle to be capped;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the capping mechanism and the means whereby the bottle cap is cut from a strip;

Fig 7 is a sectional view of the head and attendant parts;

Fig. 8 isa sectional view of the clutch;

Fig. 9 is a horizontal section showing the arm 7 of the support and attendant parts.

In carrying out the invention, there is provided a support I, seen best in Fig. 2. V The support I includes a base 2 of any desired construction, carrying a fixed vertical tubular post 3. A sleeve 4 is vertically adjustable on the post 3, and is 8 and in the bracket 9.

Fig. 3 is a sectionalelevationshowing certain held in adjusted positions by a set screw 5. The adjustment afiorded by the set screw 5 is for the mere purpose of locating the entire working mechanism at any desired height, and with that observation, the set screw 5 and the vertical adjustability of the sleeve 4 may be dismissed from further consideration.

, The sleeve 4 carries a fixed upper horizontal arm 5 and a fixed horizontal lower arm I. A casing 8 (shown in Figs. 4, 2 and 1) is secured to the outer end of the lower horizontal arm 1. The casing 8 carries, upon one side, a depending bearing bracket 9, seen in Fig. 1. A horizontal shaft Iii (Figs. 4 and 2) is journaled in the casing To one end of the shaft II], an operating member II, preferably'a handle under theco'ntrol of an operator, is secured.

A pinion I2 is fastened to the horizontal shaft I5, within the casing 8, and meshes with a rack bar I4 (Figs. 2 and 4) mounted to reciprocate vertically in the outer end of the lower arm I.

Figure 2 shows that a horizontal, bottle-supporting table I5 is secured to the upper end of the rack bar I4. Fixed uprights I 5 are carried by the inner portion of the table I5. The bottle stands on the table I5 and is supported laterally by the uprights IS. The bottle is not shown in the drawings. The bottle may be a milk bottle, or any other receptacle capable .of being capped in the machine forming the sub ject matter of this application. The word bottle is to be construed as meaning any sort of a receptacle which the machine can handle.

A vertically elongated, cylindrical, fluid pressure head'I'I is carried by the outer end of the upper arm 6 of the support I, and is shown in Figs. 2 and 6, for instance. The head I! is surmounted by a detachable cap I8.

The lower end of the head I! is surrounded by a cup-shaped resilient member 60, preferably made of rubber, and held on the lower end of the head I! by a clamp ring BI. 'The cup-shaped resilient member 60 includes a diaphragm 62, provided at its center with a depending boss 63, as shown in Fig. 6. The side wall of the cup shaped member 60 is supplied, close to the diaphragm 62, with an inwardly projecting annular rib 64. A vent conduit I9 is connected to the cap I8, and is sustained by a bracket 25 (Fig. 2) mounted on the upper arm 6 of the support I. The cap IB (Fig. 6) carries a depending sleeve 2 I, within which is located an abutment cushion 22, preferably made of rubber, the cushion having a bore 23 in communication with the vent conduit I9. The cushion 22 preferably is secured to the cap I8, as shown at 24 in Fig. 6.

There is an air space 25 in the head I'I, about the sleeve 2|. The air in the air space 25 is heated by any suitable means shown at 26. The source of air supply for the air space 25 preferably is a pipe 21 (Figs. 2 and 3) connected to the upper arm 6 of the support I at the top thereof. On the lower end of the pipe 21 there is a valve seat 28 (Fig. 3), adapted to cooperate with a valve 29 closed by a spring 30. The valve 29 is carried by a stem 3|, slidable in a guide 32 mounted in the lower part of the arm 6, the stem extending downwardly below the said arm, as shown in Fig. 3. Between the guide 32 and the valve seat 28 there is a space 33 in the upper arm 6, and from the said space 33, a duct 34 (Figs. 3 and 9) leads to the air space 25 within the head I'l. As shown in Fig. 9, a duct 44 is branched off from the duct 34 in the arm 6, and leads to a pipe 45, mounted on the arm 6, and carrying a gauge 46, whereby the pressure in the duct or conduit 34 can be read off. Air leaves the air space 25 of the head Il'I through a duct 35, shown in Fig. 9, and this duct leads to a pipe 36 which, as shown in Fig. 3, is joined to a valve casing 31 having a valve seat 38. The valve casing 31 has an outlet 39, the seat 38 being located between the inlet 36 for the casing 31, and the outlet 39 therefor. A valve 48 cooperates with the seat 38 and is carried by a stem 4|, a spring 42 cooperating with the stem and with a portion of the casing 31, to close the valve 46. In the stem 4| is interposed a connection 43 I whereby the length of the stem may be adjusted.

The lower end of the valve stem 4| (Fig. 4) is pivoted somewhat loosely to an arm 47 on a shaft 48 mounted to turn in a bracket 49 on the sleeve 4 and in the bracket 9 (Fig. 1) of the casing 8. On the end of the shaft 48 remote from the bracket 49 there is a cam finger 56. A coiled spring about the shaft 48 (Fig. 4) tends to rotate the shaft and swing the cam finger 50 inwardly, that is, to the left in Fig. l, the spring 55 being secured at one end to the bracket 9, the opposite end of the spring being secured at 52 to the shaft 48.

The cam finger 50 is adapted to be actuated, and the shaft 48 is rotated, by a plunger 53 slidable in an inwardly projecting tubular guide 54 on the handle II. In addition to serving as a means for actuating the cam finger 56 .and rotating the shaft 48, the plunger 53 serves also as a means for holding the handle II in adjusted positions, since the inner end of the plunger is adapted to cooperate with a ratchet 55 on one end of the casing 8. The plunger 53 is moved inwardly by means of a short lever 56, shown in Fig. 4, the lever 56 being fulcrumed on the handle II and being actuated, to slide the plunger 53 inwardly, by a spring 5'! interposed between the lever and the handle II. I

A first vertically "movable slide rod 58 is mounted for reciprocation in the lower arm I of the support I and is held in a portion of the table or bottle support t5, for vertical adjustment, by a set screw 59. shown in Fig. 1. The slide rod 58 is alined axially with the stem 3| of the valve 29 (Fig. 3), or when the table and bottle support I5 is raised, the slide rod will engage the stem 3| of the valve 29 and open the valve.

Hangers 65 (Fig. 1) are secured to opposite sides of the upper arm 6 and in the hangers are journaled upper feed rollers 66 and 6?, and lower feed rollers 68 and 69, the feed roller 68 coop crating with the feed roller 66, and the feed roller 69 cooperating with the feed roller 61. The roll I I9 of material out of which the bottle cap is to be cut, is mounted on a platform H8 carried by the hangers 65, the roll being supported behind a stop II'I, mounted at I I6 on the platform II 8 for adjustment therealong. From the platform II8, the capping material passes between the feed rolls 66-68 and 6I-69.

The feed rollers 66 and 68 are connected by intermeshing gears II (Fig. 2). The feed rollers 61 and 69 are connected by corresponding intermeshing gears I9 (Fig. 9). The shafts of the rollers 68 and 69 are connected by a chain and sprocket gearing I2 (Figs. 9 and 2). A pinion I3 on the shaft of the roller 68 meshes with a gear wheel I4 rotatable on the shaft of the roller 66. A back stop pawl I5, pivotally mounted on one of the hangers 65, cooperates with the gear wheel I4. A crank disk I6 is rotatable on the shaft of the roll 66 and is connected to the gear wheel I4 by a one-Way clutch mechanism 11. A head H (Fig. 8) on the shaft of the roll 66 holds the disk I6 on the said shaft for rotation, the disk having a groove G for lubricant, disposed behind the disk. A sleeve guide I8 is pivoted to the crank disk I6, eccentrically thereof. A connecting rod 19 is slidable longitudinally in the guide '58 within a guard I90 on the arm 6. The connecting rod I9 is equipped with adjustable abutments 86, located above and below the sleeve guide I8, and the abutments 89 may be located in various positions longitudinally of the connecting rod I9. The connecting rod I9 is made in tWo parts and on the inner ends of its parts a sleeve 8| is oppositely threaded to vary the length of the connecting rod I9. The lower end of the connecting rod I9 is pivoted at 82 to a crank arm 83 mounted to swing on a shaft 84 which is journaled in outstanding bearing projections 85 on the lower arm I of the support I. Located alongside the crank arm 83 is another crank arm 86 which is secured to the shaft 84. The crank arm 83 has an arcuate slot 81, and the crank arm 86 has a projection or bolt 88 movable in the slot 81. The shaft 84 is connected to the shaft I6 by intermeshing beveled gears 89.

A slide rod 90 is mounted for vertical reciprocation in the arms 6 and I of the support I. An angular bracket 9| is adjustable along the slide rod 90, and is held in adjusted positions by a. clamp screw 92. The bracket 9| (Fig. 5) is adapted to rest on the arm 'I of. the support I. A stop screw 93 serves as a means for regulating the position of the bracket 9| on the slide rod 99, and is threaded into a block 94, secured at 95 to the slide rod 99. An adjustable shoulder lever 96 is fulcrumed intermediate its ends, at 91, on the bracket 9|. The shoulder lever 96 is supplied with a lower inclined surface 98. The position of the shoulder lever 96 is adjusted by means of a screw I58, threaded into the shoulder lever and engaging the block 9|. The screw I50 is kept in engagement with the block 9| by a spring I29, held between the lower end of the lever and the block 9-I.

The surface 98 of the shoulder lever .96 is adapted to cooperate with an eccentric, pin 99, secured between disks IllI on the shaft 84. To the upper end of the slide rod 90 is attached a cutter carrier I62 having an opening I83, the cuttercarrier being provided with an annular blade I94. 'The blade I94 is mounted for reciprocation in a guide plate I05. The guide plate I05 is mounted slidably, on studs I06, carried by a stop,

plate I0I having an opening I08. On the lower surface of the stop plate I01 there is a soft facing I09, preferably made of copper, and the blade I04 can cooperate with the facing I09, without damage to the blade. The cutter carrier I02 has a limited upward and downward movement on the studs I06. Compression springs 0- are carried by the studs I06, and are interposed between the guide plate I05 andthe-facing I09 on the stop plate I01. Compression springs'III (Fig. 1) are carried by the studs I06, and are located between t e guide plate I05 and the, cutter carrier I02.

The position of the stop plate I01, and associated parts, is limitedby adjusting screws II2, threaded into lugs II3 on the head I1, and held in adjusted positions by lock nuts II4.

By means of the handle II, the shaft I0 is rocked, and the pinion I2, meshing with the rack bar I4, raises the bottle support or table I5. As the bottle is raised, and assuming for the time being that a cap disk has been cut from the material H8, the top of the bottle picks up the disk and carries it upwardly. The boss 63 on the diaphragm 62 presses down the capping disk upon the ordinary pasteboard closure in the neck of the milk bottle. As the diaphragm 62 is carried upwardly, the bottle is centered by the rib 64. The rib 64 acts as a reinforcement for the cupshaped member and prevents irregular stretching or distortion of the diaphragm 62, the rib turning or rolling on its central axis 200, as the diaphragm 62 rises. The result is that the cap is applied smoothly and evenly over the neck of the bottle. As the diaphragm 62 moves upwardly, it engages the rubber cushion 22 and additional pressure is supplied, to keep the cap on the bottle. When the diaphragm 62 is carried upwardly, it closes the bore 23 in the cushion 22 and, therefore, closes the vent line I9. l c

As the table or' bottle support I5 moves upwardly, the slide rod 58 is raised. The slide rod 58, cooperating with the valve stem'3l of Fig. 3, raises the valve 29 and opens it. Now there is established an air line including the pipe 21, the space shown at 33 in Fig. 3, the, duct 34 of Fig. 9 and the pressure space 25 about the sleeve H. The diaphragm 62 is carried downwardly around the top of the neck of the bottle, and the bottle cap is pressed tightly around the bottle neck. The air under pressure is heated by the means indicated at 26.

When the operator wishes to exhaust the air under pressure from the space shown at 25, he tilts the lever 56 of Fig. 4 on the handle II, and the plunger 53 is carried outwardly until it is in the path of the cam finger 56 (Fig, 1) on the shaft 48. The shaft 48 is rotated, and the arm 4! on the shaft cooperateswith stem M, to raise the valve 40 of Fig. 3, and open it. Under such circumstances, an exhaust from the air space 25 of Figs. 9 and 6 is had, through the duct 35, the pipe 36, the valve casing 37 of Fig. 3;, and the outlet pipe 39.

When the shaft I0 is rotated by the handle I I, the intermeshing gears 89 of Fig. 4 rotate the shaft 84, the eccentric pin 99 of Fig. 5 cooperates with the inclined surface 98 of the shoulder lever 96, the slide rod 90 is raised, and the blade I 04 of Fig. 6 cuts the capping disk out of the material shown at H8. Ultimately, the eccentric pin 99 of Fig. 5 rides clear of the inclined surface 98 of the shoulder lever 96, and the slide rod 90 moves downwardly, carrying with it, to the position of Fig. 6, the cutting blade I04.

At an appropriate time in its upward movement, the crank arm 86 on the shaft 84, beingprovided with the projection 88, picks up the crank arm 83 and raises it, motion being transmitted by the connecting rod I9 and the appropriate one of the abutments to the crank disk I6, by way of the guide sleeve I8, the clutch mechanism 11 imparting rotation to the shaft of the roller 68 by way of the gears I4 and I3, and rotation being imparted to the shaft of the roller 66 by way of the gears II, motion being transmitted to the shaft of the roll 69 by way of the chain and sprocket mechanism I2, and motion being transmitted from the shaft of the roll 69 to the shaft of the roll 61 by the gearing shown at I0. When the rollers 66-458 and 6I69 are actuated, the material I I8 is advanced, so that a disk can be severed from it by the cutter I04. The arcuate slot 81 in the crank arm 83 of Fig. 1, receiving the projection 88 on the crank arm 86, permits the crank arm 83, which is mounted to swing on the shaft 84 to return to the position of Fig. 1, independently of the crank arm 86.

The function of the vent passage 23--I9 of, Fig. 6 is to prevent an air seal adhesion between the diaphragm 62 and the cushion 22, the diaphragm thus being enabled to clear itself readily from the cushion 22.

The strip H9 is not fed whilst the strip is gripped by the cutter I04 and there in no buckling of the strip. The avoiding of this undesirable condition is solely a matter of timing and the mechanism of Fig. 5 provides for a proper timing. By means of the screw I50, the lever 96 can be so positioned that the crank pin 99 will be in contact with the inclined surface 98 of the lever 96 at the proper time to actuate the slide rod and the cutter I04 whilst the strip-feed is not at work. On the working stroke of the connecting rod I9, the one-way clutch I1 is operative, but on thereturn stroke of the connecting rod I9, the one-way clutch is inoperative. The slot 81 of Fig. 1 in the arm 83 permits the connecting rod I9 and the arm 83 to make the return stroke.

The machine forming the subject matter of this application presents many improvements over Patent 2,110,898, issued to George B. West on March 18, 1938, whereof I am the assignee.

What is claimed is:

1. In a receptacle-capping machine, a tubular head, a resilient cap-applying diaphragm extended transversely of the head and provided with an annular bead limiting and regulating the stretching of the bead when the diaphragm is engaged across the mouth of a receptacle, means for moving a receptacle until the diaphragm is engaged across the mouth thereof, and means for admitting fluid pressure to the head to flex the diaphragm lengthwise of the receptacle and'about the neck thereof, to apply a cap thereto.

2. In a receptacle-capping machine, a tubular head, a resilient cap-applying diaphragm extended transversely of the head and provided with an annular bead limiting and regulating the stretching of the bead when the diaphragm is engaged across the mouth of a receptacle, the diaphragm having an external boss constituting means for seating a cap in the mouth of a receptacle and on a closure disk in the mouth of a receptacle, means for moving a receptacle until the diaphragm is engaged across the mouth thereof, and means, for admitting fluid pressure to the head to flex the diaphragm lengthwise of means for moving the carrier as aforesaid, the

the receptacle and about the neckthereof, to apply a cap thereto.

3. In a receptacle-capping machine, a capapplying head, operable by fluid pressure, means for conducting fluid pressure to the head, a receptacle carrier movable toward and fro-m the head, an exhaust conduit leading from the head, a first mechanism for opening and closing the exhaust conduit, and a second mechanism for moving the carrier toward and away from the head, said mechanisms each including an actuating handle part, and said actuating handle parts being located so closely together, and having such movement relatively to each other, that they can be grasped simultaneously by one hand of an operator, the actuating handle part for the first mechanism being movable with the actuating handle part for the second mechanism, but in inoperative position, during the entire stroke of the actuating handle part for the second mechanism, and being capable of independent actuation at the will of an operator.

4. In a receptacle-capping machine, a support,

a cap-applying means on the support, a capcutter movable on the support, toward and away from the cap-applying means, means for feeding a strip of cap material between the cutter and the cap-applying means, a receptacle carrier movable on the support, toward and away from the cap-applying means and the cutter,

last-specified means including a shaft journaled on the support and having an eccentric, means for operating the cutter, and including a slide mounted to reciprocate on the support, a member having a shoulder to be engaged by the eccentric, and means for mounting said member on the slide, for adjustment toward and away from the eccentric.

5. In a receptacle-capping machine, a support, a cap-applying means on the support, a capcutter movable on the support, toward and away from the cap-applying means, means for feeding a strip of cap material between the cutter and the cap-applying means, a receptacle carrier movable on the support, toward and away from the cap-applying means and the cutter, means for moving the carrier as aforesaid, the lastspecified means including a shaft joumaled on the support and having. an eccentric, means for operating the cutter and including a slide mounted to reciprocate on the support, a member having a shoulder to be engaged by the eccentric, and means for mounting said member on the slide, for adjustment longitudinally of the slide and transversely of the eccentric.

6. A receptacle-capping machine constructed as set forth in 'claim4, and wherein said member is a lever'fulcrumed on a part of the last-specified means, and an adjusting device coacting with the lever and said last-specified means, to tilt the lever and adjust the shoulder transversely of the eccentric.

7. In a receptacle-capping -machine, a support, a cap-applying means on the support, a cap cutter movable on the support, toward and away from the cap-applying means, means for feeding a ,strip of cap material between the cutter and the cap-applying means, a receptacle carrier movable on the support, toward and away from thecap-applyi'ng means and the cutter, means for moving the carrier as aforesaid, the lastspecified means including a shaft journaled on the support and having an eccentric, means for operating the cutter and including a slide mounted to reciprocate on the support, a bracket adapted to come to rest on a part of the support, means for securing the bracket to the slide for adjustment longitudinally of the slide, a lever fulcrumed intermediate its ends on the bracket and provided at one end with a shoulder for engagement with the eccentric, and means associated with the opposite end of the lever and with the bracket for tilting the lever and adjusting the shoulder ,transversely of the eccentric.

8. A receptacle-capping machine constructed 

